Broken Angel
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: What if it was Summer lying passed out on the Cooper's front porch in the "Pilot" episode instead of Marissa? Seth finds her and Summer finds herself more receptive to Seth's charms when she's a little drunk and discovers he really does care.


Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me.

A/N: I finally saw the first episode of the show and it just amazes me how much the characters have changed. But, anyway, I thought I'd write a little Seth and Summer fic based on the "Pilot" episode, so just review and let me know how you feel. Thanks.

Marissa Cooper didn't have the brains to slam on the breaks of her daddy's Porsche until after the front two wheels bumped over the curb on the side of her house and the car lurched forward. Beside her, Holly Fisher started giggling hysterically, her humor the product of too much to drink and too much pot and Marissa joined in her laughter. In the backseat, an unconscious Summer Roberts, the victim of too many body shoots and plastic cups filled to the brim with foamy beer, rolled off the seat and dropped onto the floor. Holly laughed hysterically as she spun around in her seat and saw the dark headed girl, who was still passed out despite the fall.

"God, she is such an idiot sometimes." The blonde giggled and Marissa also looked back. If she wasn't too drunk, she would have felt pity for her best friend, but the alcohol in her sister was controlling her emotions.

Marissa put the car into reverse and hopped off the curb and back onto the asphalt. "How much did she have to drink tonight?" She questioned, readjusting the direction of the car so that the Porsche was now headed for her driveway.

Holly giggled for no apparent reason. "She was drinking like a fish tonight." Another round of giggles. "I bet she finished a whole keg by herself."

Summer stirred slightly but remained in the clutches of an alcoholic stupor; she was crumpled uncomfortably against the back of Holly's seat and the arm rest in the middle of the driver and passenger seats.

"Remind me again why we're taking her to your house." Holly said, laughing and nearly colliding with the dash board when Marissa swerved to avoid her mother's planting bed.

Marissa peered out the windshield and giggling when she saw that she managed to tear up some of her mother's prized flowers. Julie Cooper wasn't going to be happy in the morning. "Because if her father finds her passed out he'll have a meltdown."

"And your parents won't?" Holly questioned, looking back at Summer and then at Marissa once again. She'd always heard that the Coopers were real hard-asses, especially Jimmy Cooper.

Marissa hit the breaks before slamming into the back of her mother's Mercedes and put the car into park. "My parents are asleep." She informed her friend, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her chair door. The vodka running through her system decided not to cooperate and she fell to her knees, laughing. Holly got out of the car as well and laughed when she saw Marissa on her knees.

"You have a drinking problem." Holly informed her, her words slurring and she dissolved into hysterics once more.

Marissa got to her feet and stumbled to the back of the car, opening the back door on the driver's side. Summer was still lying crumpled on the floor, breathing through her open mouth, with her hair polled around her face and head. Holly opened the other door and peeked in at their friend. "Okay, you get her feet." Marissa instructed.

Holly reached in and grabbed Summer by the ankles, jerking her forward roughly; Summer stirred again and mumbled something. "We'd better hurry, she's waking up." She giggled.

Marissa climbed into the car, grabbed Summer under her arms and lifted her slightly and together she and Holly half dragged, half carried Summer out of the car. Holly dropped Summer's feet and the lower half of the girl landed roughly on the driveway. "Sorry Summer." Holly giggled.

"Get her feet." Marissa hissed, certain now that they had made enough noise to wake up her parents and half of the neighborhood. "C'mon on Holly, don't be such a flake."

Holly grabbed Summer's legs again. "You're a flake." She muttered, the only retort she could think of in her current state.

Marissa and Holly managed to carry Summer to the porch and they dropped her roughly onto the ground again. "God, one hundred pounds my ass." Holly groaned as she dropped down beside Summer. "That girl must weigh at least one fifteen."

Marissa choose to ignore her as she fumbled with the zipper on her purse; finally she managed to open it and started rummaging through, looking for her key. She gave up after about twenty seconds of searching. "Oh well, when Summer wakes up, she knows we keep a spare under the mat."   
Holly looked confused. "Wait, you're not staying?" She questioned.

"Hell no, I'm going to another party with Luke." Marissa answered, falling back down onto her butt when she tried to stand. "You wanna go?"

Holly nodded and used the pillar to help herself stand up. "I'd be insulted if you didn't ask."

"Bye Summer." Marissa called over her shoulder as she and Holly linked arms and stumbled back toward the Porsche, laughing.

Marissa climbed back into the car and pushed her foot down on the brakes; the tires squealed but the car didn't move. She started to giggle when she realized the parking brake was still on. The tires squealed again when Marissa did an almost complete 360 and pulled the car out of the driveway again.

And it was the sound of the squealing tires that woke Seth Cohen up from the sleep he didn't even remember falling into. He blinked his eyes, letting his vision correct itself; his head was spinning and he promised himself that he would never drink again. He squinted and saw that he was in the pool house, laying on the floor wearing the crumpled suit and tie he had worn to the fashion show; the new kid from Chino, Ryan Atwood, was laying on the foldout couch.

Seth stood up when tires squealed again and he walked over to window, which looked out onto the sweeping driveway of the Cooper house. He say Jimmy Cooper's Porsche hopping and bouncing out of driveway and into the street, a very drunk Marissa behind the wheel.

He let his gaze sweep across the driveway and saw the still, unconscious form of Summer Roberts, laying on the porch, bathed in the porch light. Seth's brow wrinkled; why would Marissa just leave her best friend laying on the porch, passed out and alone? Anyone could come along and Summer wouldn't be able to defend herself.

Seth quietly opened the door to the pool house and headed toward the sloping, well manicured lawn; the bit of alcohol he'd drunk at the party only hours ago was still filtering through his system and he stumbled down the rest of hill, landing on his knees beside the Cooper driveway.

"Good move, Cohen." He grumbled to himself, feeling a little nauseous as he got to his feet. Quietly, Seth managed to get to the porch of the Cooper house without falling again or waking the Coopers. He knelt down beside Summer.

Summer's face looked so beautiful and angelic beneath the orange glow of the porch lamp, with her curled lashes brushing her cheeks and her face almost serene. Most of her makeup had been rubbed off in the course of the night and Seth saw that her cheeks were naturally rosy and her face was as soft and beautiful was porcelain. Her dark hair fell in waves around her cheeks, billowing out around her head like a halo, curling at the ends.

Seth realized he could have stayed, staring at her for hours and probably would have if she hadn't stirred at that moment. "Summer?" He questioned but there was no answer. Summer muttered something in her sleep and twitched, her fingers curling into a lose fist.

There was no way Seth could just leave her out like this, abandoned like a beautiful angel, at the mercy of whatever other drunk jocks might come along. But how was he going to carry her? He was almost too drunk to walk, let alone carry Summer, who was going to be nothing but dead weight.

With a sigh, Seth slipped his hands across her shoulders and lifted her; Summer jerked slightly and he waited to see if she was going to wake up. But she remained in the clutches of an alcohol induced sleep and Seth kept her propped against his chest while he tried to maneuver her around so he could grab her legs. All his life he had imagined how it would feel to have Summer laying against him, though he had never quite pictured that she would be unconcious when it finally happened; her breathing was slow and rhythmic and he could feel her heart beating against his chest.

Seth rested his cheek against the crown of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair, which was mixture of sweat, alcohol and lavender. At that moment, he knew that he really was in love with this beautiful girl, whether she knew he exisisted or not.

Finally, Seth was able to get his arm under her knees and he lifted Summer, leaning against one of the pillars to keep from falling over. Summer lay still in his arms, her head resting against his chest, with her arms resting across her chest.

Stumbling slightly, Seth started walking down the driveway and heading back toward the pool house, looking down at Summer's beautiful face as he walked. He wondered how many other people had seen her without makeup, the total simplicity of the way she looked when she slept. Seth hoped that he was the only person that had ever seen Summer look so beautiful; that way she was his private angel.

Summer didn't start stirring again until they had almost reached the pool house. As Seth was passing by the infinity pool that seemed to stretch for miles in the darkness, a contented noise passed through Summer's lips and her eyes fluttered upon. Seth smiled down at her and for a moment, it looked like she was about to smile back; then her vision cleared and she cried, "Cohen!"

Summer was so surprised to see who was carrying her that she jerked Seth's arms; Seth was already feeling a little dizzy and Summer's sudden motion didn't do anything to help that fact. He lost his footing and they both when crashing into the infinity pool.

Seth lost his hold on Summer when they fell and she went splashing away from him, toward the surface of the pool. She hadn't fully come out of her sleep and being suddenly thrown into the freezing water was too much shock for her alcohol filled body to deal with. She starting kicking her legs and flailing her arms, trying to get enough control over her body to get to the surface of the pool.

Seth broke the surface of the water and shook his head, sending water droplets flying from his hair; he blinked his eyes to clear the water from his lashes. "Jesus Christ." He muttered when he saw Summer all but drowning, tangled in her long water-logged skirt and billowing top. He kicked over to her quickly and grabbed her arms, hoisting her toward the surface.

Summer coughed, spitting out water and brushing her damp hair out of eyes. "Don't touch me." She snapped, trying to wiggle out of Seth's arms, which he had wrapped around her waist to keep her from sinking again.

Seth sighed; Summer was still the same girl even when she was drunk and drowning. "Fine." He muttered and released her.

Summer uttered a little cry and started to slip beneath the surface again; coordination was not too great when you were drunk, Summer realized, and she wasn't a very great swimmer in the first place. "Okay, okay." She coughed, spitting out water. "Maybe I do need a little help." Seth put his arm around her face and she put her arms around his shoulders. "I'm just a little drunk."

"A little." Seth muttered, only because those were the only words that would form in his mouth. He was so amazed that Summer was actually talking to him and not only was she talking to him, but her arms were around his shoulders and she was allowing him to keep his arms around her waist.

Seth managed to paddle over to the side of the infinity pool with Summer still holding onto him; she made no move to help him paddle and spit out water every so often. "Hold on to the side of the pool." He instructed and she did as he said. He pulled himself onto the cement around the pool and turned back to face Summer.

Summer didn't make it easy for him to pull her out of the pool and when they were both on the concrete again, he sighed and felt a little more nauseous then he had before. Summer couched again and looked down at herself; she was soaking wet with her top clinging to her chest as tight as skin and her skirt was tangled around her waist and legs.

"So," Summer said as she brushed her hair out of her face. "How in the hell did I get here?"

Seth looked at her. "You don't remember?" He questioned. Summer shook her head. "You were passed out and Marissa dumped you on her porch."

Summer's eyes went wide and sorrowful; Seth wished that he had had something else to tell her because at that moment, she looked so fragile and lost that he just wanted to put his arms around her shoulders. "She just left me? Why would she do that? She's my best friend."

"I don't know, Summer." Seth said, feeling his heart break when he saw the look on Summer's face.

Summer remained silent for a moment, staring down at the wet concrete; Marissa was her best friend and she had just abandoned her. And Seth Cohen, of all people had come to her rescue, so to speak; if her head wasn't spinning so much she might have been able to solve this strange puzzle presented to her.

"Do you want me to drive you home, Summer?" Seth questioned, pulling Summer at of her depressed reverie.

Summer shook her head so fast that her headache grew even worse. "No, you can't. If my dad finds out I've been drinking he'll have a fit." She told him.

"Okay, you can stay here." Seth suggested, shocked by his words. This was the first time he had actually managed to carry on a conversation with Summer and he was already inviting her to stay over at his house.

Summer actually managed to wrinkle her nose. "Ew! Like I would ever want to stay with you, Cohen." Inwardly, she was touched by his suggestion; no boy had ever invited her to stay at his house without the intention of him getting lucky. But the look on Seth's face was nothing like she had ever seen before, completely innocent and concerned. And there was something shining in his eyes, something she might have mistaken for love if she hadn't known better; today was the first time she had ever met Seth Cohen, right? So how could he be in love with her?

At her words, Seth looked crestfallen and Summer almost hated herself for what she had said. "Okay, fine, you can sleep out here, or you can sleep on Marissa's porch." He muttered and stood up.

Summer grabbed onto his hand and Seth turned around, surprised. "Well, maybe I could use some dry clothes." Her head lurched. "And an aspirin."

"Sure." Seth said and helped Summer to her feet. "I'll be happy to help, Summer." He was almost sarcastic.

Seth led Summer around the pool house and through the backdoor of the house; his parents were asleep and so the house was silent. "I think I have some clothes you can wear in my room." He whispered to her.

"Ew!" Summer cried and Seth all but clamped his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. "You'd better keep your hands to yourself."

Seth sighed and kept his comments to himself; Summer followed him up the stairs to his room and he shut the door behind them. Summer looked around his room and shivered because of her damp clothes; she wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to drip on the carpet.

"So, why'd you do it?" Seth questioned as she rummaged through his drawers, looking for something that would fit Summer.

"Do what?" Summer asked, her teeth chattering slightly.

Seth pulled out a baseball jersey and a pair of jeans that we're too big for him; so everything would be a little baggy on her, but he figured Summer would rather wear something baggy then something wet. "Party like that. And drink so much."

Summer sighed; she really didn't want to get into the inner workings of her mind. Sometimes she didn't understand it herself. "I don't know, I guess it's better then staying at home and putting up with my father and step-mom." She answered and Seth almost didn't hear her. "It's hard to remember how much of a jerk my dad can when I'm too drunk to remember to breath."

Seth handed her the clothes. "I'm sorry." He said truthfully, looking into her eyes. Summer had to look away because the honesty and concern that shown in his eyes was something she had never seen before. Not even her father looked at her like that. "Where's your mom?"

"Oh I don't know." Summer muttered, trying to shrug the whole thing off. "Paris, Spain, as far away from me as she can get."

"That's not true Summer." Seth said. "Whatever made your mom leave, it wasn't you."

Summer continued to stare at the floor. "How do you know? You don't even know me." She muttered, not quite sure she wanted his answer.

"Well, I know enough about you to know that your mom was stupid to leave such a beautiful daughter like you." Summer looked up at him.

The silence between them was almost palpable and Seth wanted nothing more then to kiss her, to take her in his arms and tell her everything would be all right.

Finally, Summer stepped back, toward the bathroom. "Thanks Seth." She disappeared into the bathroom before he could say anything else.

Seth stared at the closed door for a long time, trying to get his breath again. Summer was a different girl when she didn't have anyone to impress and he wondered how many people knew that; how many people knew that Summer constantly lived with the false burden of her mother's departure.

When Summer finally came out of the bathroom, wearing the clothes Seth had given her and carrying her damp clothes in her hands, Seth had turned down the sheets on his bed and fluffed his pillow. "Here, you can sleep here if you want." He offered once he saw she had returned.

Summer smiled and decided not to even fake disgust; her body was cold and exhausted and Seth wasn't as bad as she first thought. Seth couldn't help but smile at her as she lay down on his pillow and pulled his sheets around her shoulders.

"I'll go sleep on the couch, so I'll be down stairs if you need me." Seth said and headed toward the door.

"Seth." Summer's voice caused him to turn around. "Did you really mean all those things you said?"

Seth didn't even have to ask what she was talking about. "Of course, Summer." He assured her. "You're beautiful."

The smile Seth's words had caused were still on Summer's lips when she finally fell asleep; never in a million years had she expected to be comforted by Seth Cohen. But he made her feel safe, content, something she hadn't felt since her mother left.

Seth stood by the door, watching Summer long after she had fallen asleep again. He shut off the light but the moonlight that sifted through the blinds on his windows she brushed across her cheeks, bathing her face in a milky glow.

Long after Seth had gone downstairs and had laid out across the couch, he was still thinking about Summer. His beautiful, but sometimes broken, angel.


End file.
